Loopholes
by mysticalflute
Summary: If there's one thing Rumpelstiltskin excels at, it's finding a loophole. Written for teacupsroses on tumblr.


"Oh, you don't get it Papa. I'm a villain, and villains don't get happy endings," Rumpelstiltskin hissed in his father's ear as the man-child struggled in his grip, the silver dagger clenched in his free hand.

"If you kill me with that thing, you'll die too," his father protested, grunting with the effort of trying to escape.

"That is a price I am willing to make if it means Belle, Bae, and Henry are safe," he replied, plunging the dagger into his father's back, a burst of light erupting from the man, his younger self gone, and the older, rugged version that Rumpelstiltskin remembered from his childhood leaning heavily against him as he bled out.

''Goodbye, Papa,'' Rumpelstiltskin whispered, brushing a small kiss to the man's temple, anticipation tingling in his veins as the former ruler of Neverland became enveloped in smoke, covering Rumpelstiltskin as well. His father took one last gasp, before vanishing from Rumpelstiltskin's arms. The smoke dissipated slowly, but he could hear the sobs coming from Belle before he was able to see her clearly.

"Neal…" he could hear Emma Swan say, and when the smoke finally cleared fully, he saw Snow White and Charming kneeling on the ground next to Belle, Snow having pulled her into a hug, Charming rubbing her back gently.

Emma and Henry were, as he expected, over by his son. Hook and Regina were staring awkwardly down the street, as if afraid to accept his death.

"Why are you all standing around? Shouldn't we be preparing for Pan's curse?" he asked with a smug grin on his face.

Eight pairs of eyes shot his way, all of them widening at the same time.

"RUMPEL!" Belle yelled, breaking free of the Charmings' hold and running over to him, wrapping her arms around him in relief. "You're alive!"

"How? I thought you used your own dagger?" Charming asked. It was one of the least stupid questions he'd ever heard from the prince.

He shook his head and snapped his fingers, the dagger that looked like the Dark One's morphing back to its original state – a simple silver dagger, dripping in his father's blood.

"It's a normal dagger," Snow White said, her eyes widening as her lips split into a smile. "You tricked him."

"I had to. I had to make him think that I would be going down with him," Rumpelstiltskin replied, the dagger clattering to the ground. "Now then, let me see that scroll, Regina."

Regina seemed frozen for a moment, but she got her composure together and handed it over. "It's impossible for all of us to go back, isn't it?" she questioned.

"What? What do you mean?" Emma then asked. Rumpelstiltskin could feel the frowns of the others as he studied the scroll for a loophole.

"The curse will only take back those that were born or conceived in the Enchanted Forest. Which means Henry – "

"– will be left behind," his son finished. Rumpelstiltskin pictured his eyes widening in the familiar way they always did.

"Not if we act quick enough," Rumpelstiltskin said suddenly, looking up at his son. "But when I say quickly, I mean now."

"Anything if it means we don't have to be separated," Emma said, and Rumpelstiltskin could only barely contain his smile. For someone who wasn't in love with his son, she seemed to want all of them to stay together.

"I need a drop of your blood. Each of you."

"Our blood? Why?" Neal asked with a frown.

"You and Miss Swan each have blood from the Enchanted Forest in you. As Henry is the product of the both of you, with your blood mixing together to create him, it will form protection, allowing him to come back with us."

Miss Swan stuck her arm out immediately. "Do it."

"Very well," Rumpelstiltskin said, waving his hand to clean his father's blood off the dagger, and pressing it gently into Emma's arm, allowing a couple of drops of blood to coat it, and dropping it on the scroll. He snapped his fingers, and a bandage covered Emma's wound. Cleaning the dagger again, he repeated the process with Bae and Henry.

"There…" Rumpelstiltskin said softly as the scroll glowed briefly under his hand. "It's done. Now we can all go back to the Enchanted Forest… as a family." He handed the blasted thing back to Regina before wrapping an arm around Belle, who leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Snow White asked.

"Gather your things together. I added something a little extra into the scroll that I think everyone will enjoy," Rumpelstiltskin replied, pressing a kiss to Belle's head. "But I suggest being together as a family before we're brought back. I don't know where we'll all land."

"What did you do?" Regina asked with a frown.

"Don't worry about it," Rumpelstiltskin replied, steering Belle toward the shop before pausing. "Bae… are you coming?"

He saw the conflict on his son's face. "I… think I want to stick with my son, papa. I'm sorry."

The man waved his hand. "No apology necessary."

The small group dispersed, he and Belle to the shop, the others to… well, he didn't particularly care where they were going.

"So… what did you do?" Belle asked as they sat comfortably at the table in the back of the shop.

"Nothing major," he replied with a small smile, draping an arm around Belle. "I merely made it possible for some of this world's magic to come back to the enchanted forest with us."

"What? What magic?" Belle asked with a small frown.

"Come now, Belle… that would ruin the surprise," he replied with an impish smile. Soon, he would actually look like an imp again. Not what he had planned, nor what he'd foreseen, but he supposed as long as he had Bae and Belle that was all that mattered.

"It's here!" someone yelled from outside. Why that person wasn't with their loved ones was something that briefly crossed his mind, but the thought soon passed as ominous clouds filled the sky.

"Rumpel…" Belle said nervously.

"Shh Belle, it'll be okay. We're going home, remember? We're just going home…" Home. What a strange thing to think about. For years, the Dark Castle had been his shelter, but it had never truly felt like a home, because Bae had been gone. Now, he had his son back, and Belle, his precious Belle, was also back.

And, he supposed, he had no choice but to accept Snow White and her group as his family, due to Henry.

The deep purple fog seeped through the walls of the shop, and he pulled Belle closer as she buried her head in his chest.

An unnatural breeze picked up as the fog enveloped them, sweeping them into the darkness.

When the wind faded and Rumpelstiltskin felt they were back, he slowly opened his eyes, the crystal-clear blue sky of the Enchanted Forest greeting him with the warm sun streaming in from the window.

"Belle, open your eyes. It's okay. We're back," he said softly, his voice high-pitched once again as his golden skin glittered against the reflection of the mirror hanging on the wall in the Dark Castle.

The one and only mirror he'd allowed her to uncover.

He felt her move slowly, blue eyes peeling open as she looked around. She was in the golden dress he'd first met her in.

"We're home?" she whispered, looking up at him before her eyes widened. "You're – "

"The Dark One, inside and outside once again, yes," he said with a small nod.

"I have to say… part of me missed that side of you," Belle said softly, a small grin forming on her face as she leaned up and pressed her forehead against his.

There was turmoil inside of him. He loved the magic. Loved the power that it brought him. He loved making deals and making sure people weren't being stupid.

But he also loved Belle and Bae. He loved the family he had.

He took a shaky breath as he looked down at Belle, beautiful Belle, and he could see the same conflict in her face. He could tell she wanted to kiss him – he'd seen that face more often than not in his dreams when they were in Neverland – but he could see the hesitation in her face.

"Rumpel I – "

"I want you to do it, Belle," he said. "I want you to kiss me. I want you to break the Dark One's curse," he said. He was tired, and it showed. He had no use for the curse anymore now that his son was safe with him.

Shock crossed Belle's face. "You – what?"

"I want you to break the curse. _Please_."

"A-are you sure?" Belle asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes. I haven't been more sure about something in a very long time, Belle," he said. "Please… I don't want to be the Dark One any longer."

"You don't? You're really sure about that this time?"

He nodded. "Belle, please. I beg of you."

Worry crossed his features. Now that they were back in the Enchanted Forest, people could be after his power. He'd come close enough to losing it in Storybrooke, but the Enchanted Forest… would most likely be worse.

Belle didn't need any more encouragement, throwing her arms around him and kissing him deeply. He pulled her close, returning this kiss as a warmth spread through him. His skin became natural, his hair straightening and smoothing out as it had been in Storybrooke. His nails were cleaner.

And his heart felt lighter.

(Neither of them noticed the light that burst throughout the land, too wrapped up in each other to care)

They broke away, gasping for air as they looked at each other.

Belle broke first, smiling at him. "So, you're human again. How do you feel?"

He smiled, running a hand through his hair as he gazed at the mirror. Normal human hair, normal human skin. Relief flooded him as he looked at the dagger against his hip, now devoid of any name. "Better. Much, much better."

"Wonderful!" Belle said. "But… what do we do now?"

That was a good question. "We should go find Bae and the others."

"How? There's no carriages and you don't have magic."

He suddenly found the cobweb above the mirror very interesting, ignoring the question she'd posed.

"Rumpel…"

He was silent.

"Rumpel."

He sighed and looked at her. "Loophole, Belle. You broke the Dark One's curse. The dagger is nothing more than an ordinary weapon. I'm human again but… I still have the magic. I found the loophole back in Storybrooke."

"You still have power."

"But it's like Regina's or Emma's. Magic isn't inherently good or evil, Belle. And now… I want to use it for good. To restore things they used to be." Well, mostly. There was that other loophole he'd put into the return curse.

She sighed. "I trust you."

"Now, all we need is my glass orb and we'll be able to find my son. And if my hunch is right… he'll be with Emma's family."

She nodded slowly. "Okay."

Striding over to one of his favorite cabinets, he frowned when he realized the glass orb was not in the spot he remembered it being in. Why had it been moved?

"Rumpel, is this it?" Belle called from the dining room, the glass orb clutched in her hand.

"Ah-ha, that's it."

Taking it from her, he smiled and focused on his son, smiling when Bae popped up. He squinted, trying to see if there were any identifying features in the area, and his eyes widened. "Ah… yes, I know exactly where they ended up."

"Where?" Belle asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Snow White and Prince Charming's palace. Come," he replied, setting the glass orb down and taking her hand. "Let's go."

He closed his eyes, vanishing with her in a puff of smoke.

"Papa! Belle!" Bae called.

"Your skin!" Snow White said, her eyes wide. "It's human!"

"Indeed. Belle broke the Dark One's curse. I am completely human again," he replied, squeezing Belle's hand.

"That was the light we saw then."

"Light?" Belle asked, tilting her head. "What light?"

"It was distant but there was a burst of light. Like when Emma broke the curse in Storybrooke," the princess explained. "We couldn't see where it'd come from though."

Belle opened her mouth to respond, when the doors of the room burst open and the seven dwarves came running in. The grumpy one was at the head, of course. Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes slightly when he saw them.

"What news do you have?" Charming asked, sounding oh-so diplomatic. He hated the sound of diplomatic kings.

"Granny got the fryers running. She said she's going to be having her lunch specials starting in an hour!" the dwarf explained.

Confusion radiated from everyone but Rumpelstiltskin and the dwarves.

"Fryers?" Belle asked, finally breaking the stunned silence that had settled in the room. "What fryers?"

"The fryers in the diner, of course. What other fryers would I be talking about, sister?"

"We're in the Enchanted Forest though. How could the diner exist here?" Bae asked.

Something clicked in Belle, and she looked up at Rumpelstiltskin. "You did it, didn't you?" This was what you were talking about back in Storybrooke. That's that extra you added after you took Emma and Neal's blood to let Henry come back with us."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded and smiled a little. "It's like I told you, Belle. I can always find a loophole." Ketchup was that land's form of magic after all. "Come on now. Let's go get a hamburger."

The thought of burgers seemed to break the rest of the confusion in the room as Rumpelstiltskin and Belle led the charge to Granny's diner. The outside of it had changed, to match the more natural background of the Enchanted Forest, but inside, it was the same as Storybrooke.

It would be had to adjust to being back in the Enchanted Forest, but Rumpelstiltskin hoped that the addition of Granny's diner to the forest would help ease the burden.


End file.
